A 65-year-old man was found dead in a car on July 3. It is possibly the second heat-related fatality in Death Valley this summer. “There really is no immediate relief in sight,” Pine said.Ī 71-year-old Los Angeles-area man died at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park in eastern California on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures reached 121 F (49.4 C) or higher and rangers suspect heat was a factor, the National Park Service said in a statement Wednesday. The region has also seen 38 consecutive days with a heat index threshold of 100 F (37.8 C), and sea surface temperatures are reported to be several degrees warmer than normal.

All six deaths didn’t necessarily occur last week as some may have happened weeks earlier but were confirmed as heat-related only after a thorough investigation. Public health officials Wednesday reported that six more heat-associated fatalities were confirmed last week, bringing the year’s total so far to 18. Heat-related deaths continue to rise in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. “But I’m definitely seeing a lot more people come in the evening to get their ice cream when things start cooling off,” LaMont said.

Lindsay LaMont, who works at the Sweet Republic ice cream shop Phoenix, said business had been slow during the day with people sheltering inside to escape the heat. The previous record was 96 F (35.6 C) in 2003, the weather service reported. Meanwhile, Phoenix broke an all-time record Wednesday morning for a warm low temperature of 97 F (36.1 C), raising the threat of heat-related illness for residents unable to cool off adequately overnight. In southeastern Pennsylvania, a search continued for two children caught in flash flooding Saturday night.

In Connecticut, a mother and her 5-year-old daughter died after being swept down a swollen river Tuesday. The storm system is forecast to move Thursday and Friday over New England, where the ground remains saturated after recent floods. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency there Wednesday as more storms threatened.įorecasters expect up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could yet fall on parts of Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri near where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers converge. In Kentucky, meteorologists warned of a “life-threatening situation” in the communities of Mayfield and Wingo, which were inundated by flash flooding this week from thunderstorms. For example, Miami has endured a heat index of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) or more for weeks, with temperatures expected to rise this weekend. “They got where they needed to be within the house and it all worked out for the best,” Varnell said near a home that was missing exterior walls and a large chunk of the roof.Įlsewhere in the U.S., an onslaught of searing temperatures and rising floodwaters continued, with Phoenix breaking an all-time temperature record and rescuers pulling people from rain-swamped homes and vehicles in Kentucky.įorecasters said little relief appears in sight from the heat and storms.

His sister and her children hid in their home’s laundry room. He told the news outlet he is thankful they are all alive. Three homes owned by Brian Varnell and his family members in the nearby Dortches area were damaged.

Joplin globe weather